Braille is a tactile method used by the blind and visually impaired users for writing and reading text. A standard set of dot patterns using six dot positions defines the Braille alphabet. A keyboard implementing the six dot positions to represent Braille characters is called a Perkins Brailler Keyboard.
Many touchscreen devices are proliferating the daily lives of users with and without disabilities alike. A touchscreen device is a device that accepts a user interaction, such as an input from the user, via a touch gesture. A touch gesture comprises a touching of the touch-sensitive component, usually a touch-sensitive screen, by a user. Typically, the user touches the touchscreen using one or more fingers, a stylus, or another object.
A variety of touch gestures are presently recognized and used with touchscreens. A single-touch gesture is formed when the user touches a single point or area on the touchscreen. A multi-touch gesture is formed when the user simultaneously touches more than one point or area on the touchscreen.
Some touch-based devices and applications recognize a touch gesture when the user makes contact with the touchscreen. Other touch-based devices and applications recognize a touch gesture when the user has removed the contacting finger or object after making contact with the touchscreen.
A virtual Braille keyboard is a visible or invisible presentation of a set of areas on a touchscreen. Each area in the set of areas is defined as a Braille key. Six of the areas in the set of areas represent the standard six dot positions used in the Braille standard. One or more other areas in the set of areas represent other functions, such as back-space, line-space, or the blank-space characters. Different manufacturers of virtual Braille keyboards use different layouts of the set of areas, and may add or remove additional areas besides the six areas corresponding to the standard six Braille dot positions.